1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for testing the resiliency of balls such as golf balls, tennis balls, baseballs and the like.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Over the years, serious golfers have recognized the distance traveled by a golf ball when driving off a tee will vary by considerable yardage dependent upon the resiliency of the golf ball. Heretofore it has been the practice of golfers to test a golf ball by dropping a golf ball onto a hard surface such as a concrete path or a golf cart path and observing the height to which the ball rebounds. However, not only is this procedure inaccurate in that the surface will vary in hardness, but also there is a danger that the golf ball will be damaged upon striking a rough surface. The resiliency of a golf ball can be lost for a number of reasons and it can be demonstrated experimentally that a loss of 5-10 percent in resiliency, which is not at all uncommon, can result in a loss of 10-20 yards off the tee. One of the reasons for the loss in resiliency is aging, whether or not the golf ball has been stored in the pocket of a golf bag or on the shelf of a sporting goods store. Another reason for this loss in resiliency is exposure to the sun or water. Sometimes a golf ball that has been lost in the rough is found by someone and sold as like new. Such a golf ball may well have lost much of its original resiliency. Cold weather also has a profound effect on the resiliency of the golf ball. The low temperature tends to embrittle the rubber structure of the golf ball. Various devices have been proposed to test the quality of golf balls, but these have proven cumbersome and not suitable as a portable testing device such as can be taken by a golfer right on to a golf course or that can be used during a golfing tournament.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,984,904 to Warshaw et al. relates to an impact testing machine in which two impact heads simultaneously apply blows to a golf ball to be tested and to a golf ball of known characteristics. U.S. Pat. No. 2,314,063 to Anderson et al. discloses an apparatus for testing golf balls as to their resiliency by means of complex electronic circuitry. U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,765 to Rathmell relates to an apparatus for testing the consistency and distance characteristics of golf balls. U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,626 to Ruzika discloses a golf ball tester in which the golf ball is guided by means of partial vacuum.
Various other devices have been proposed for testing the quality, shape, resiliency, weight and flight characteristics of baseballs, tennis balls, squash balls and the like, but the prior art of record has not filled the long felt need among sporting persons for a simple to use and inexpensive device which is portable and easy to manufacture. Tennis players have traditionally bounced a tennis ball on the tennis court surface before serving in order to test the resiliency of the ball but such a method of testing is to say, at the least, inaccurate, because it depends on several factors including the force with which the player throws the ball onto the court surface, the hardness of the court surface and the determination by the player of the force with which the tennis ball rebounds.
Although the aforementioned patents solve many of the needs of the prior art for testing the resiliency of game balls, these devices have all suffered from the problem that they have not been suitable for use, for example, by the golfer as part of his golfing equipment, or can be carried in his golf bag. Therefore, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a device that overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which significantly contributes to the ease with which a player can test the resiliency of his game balls, particularly on the golf course.
Another object of this invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device that will enable players to quickly test the condition of a game ball before the game.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device for testing the resiliency of game balls in which a tubular member has an opening for receiving a game ball to be tested. The game ball falls under the force of gravity and strikes an impact surface at the end of the tubular member and rebounds to a height dependent upon the resiliency of the game ball.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device for testing the resiliency of game balls comprising two parts, first a tubular member for guiding the game ball and secondly a steel insert secured within one end of the member remote from the end of said member where the game ball is inserted.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device for testing the resiliency of game balls wherein calibrated markings on a tubular member provide a visual indication of the degree of resiliency of said game ball by virtue of the distance said game ball rebounds upon striking the steel insert secured at one end of the tubular member.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Particularly with regard to the use of the invention disclosed herein, this should not be construed as limited to the testing of golf balls, but should include the testing of other balls such as tennis balls, squash balls, table tennis balls and the like.